Pincushion



' (No Model.)

P. RATGLIFP.

PINGUSHION,

N0. 279,807. Patentd June 19,1883;

purpose.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK RATOLIFF, OF NEXV BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

PINCUSHION.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 279,807, dated June 19,1883.

Application filed December 5, 1882.

ToaZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED. RATOLIFF, of NewBedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pincushions; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in pincushions, and it consistsin a holder for the sand, emery, and other material, and which has agrooved rim, in combination with a spring or other suitable ring aroundwhich the edges of the fabric are to be wrapped or held, and which isthen snapped into the grooved rim of the holder for the purpose ofholding the fabric in place.

It still further consists in the holder having an opening which may bethreaded through it for the purpose of receiving a plug, whereby thefilling material can be made to expand the fabric to any desired extent,and the filling can be removed at any time or replaced.

Figures 1 and 4 are vertical sections of a pincushion embodying myinvention in slightlydifferent forms. Figs. 2 and 3 are verticalsections of modifications of the same.

A represents a suitable holder, which may be of any desired shape, size,or construction, and be made of glass, wood, metal, or any materialwhich is adapted for the purpose. The top of this holder is formed intoa grooved rim, 13, either of the shape here shown or any other that maybe preferred.

The fabric which is to be stretched over the end of the holder for thepurpose of having the needles and pins stuck into it has its edgesstretched under or overa suitable ring, 0, and then the ring is snappedinto the grooved rim, as shown, so as toheld the ends of the fabrictightly in place. This ring may be formed of a spiral spring or aspring-wire, which is either made in one continuous piece or which hasits ends separated, or of a rubber ring, or be of any construction thatis adapted for the The fabric, being clamped between the edges of thisring and the inside edge of the grooved rim, is held so securely inposition (No model.)

that it can be given any desired amount of bulge without becomingloosened.

Through the holder is made an opening which is designed to receive theplug E, which plug will be made of greater length than is absolutelynecessary than to merely close the opening. If-the pin cushion or holderis intended to be placed upon a stand, F, the hole will be made throughits bottom; but if the holder is to be double-ended, then the openingwill be made through the side instead of the lower end, as shown inFig. 1. lVhether made through the side or the end the plug can be usedfor the purpose of expanding the filling mate rial, so as to give asuitable tension or bulge to the fabric, which is stretched across oneor bothends of the holder, as well as to secure the contents and permittheir removal or refilling.

Instead of theholder having a groove formed in its top, the edge may beturned over, as shown at X in Fig. 4, and this inwardly-turned edgeserves to keep the bag WV filled with any suitable material in place inthe top -of the holder. The bottom of the holder will then be made inthe shape of a screw-plug, E, which will force the bag tightly up intoplace. This plug may either be provided with a foot of its own, or be soshaped that it can be attached to a foot.

The holder is first filled with any suitable material, and then the plugis inserted and forced or screwed in far enough to make the fillingmaterial stretch the fabric to any desired extent. out, or should it bedesired at any time to replace therfilling material, it is onlynecessary to remove the plug, and then the filling can be readily shakenout and replaced.

A needle-cleaner, a, of any suitable construction, is placed just underthe center of the fabric, and then the balance ofthe holder is filledwith sawdust, sand, or any other suitable material. In this. manner apincushion and needle-cleaner are combined in'a single implement. Y

Where I insert a needle-cleaner, I construct the emery-holder as shownin Fig. 2. A suitable sized andshaped cylinder is used, and the fabricis then secured upon each end by means .of clamping-rings b.

The filling material is then inserted through an aperture in the body,and expanded bymeans of a plug, as before Should the fabric become worndescribed, If desired, asecond shell, Y, may inclose the cylinder andthe two parts be secured together by means of the plug, as shown in Fig.3, and the space between the two parts filled and covered in anysuitable manner.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A pin-holder composed ofa holder having a grooved rim, in combination with a ring, the fabricwhich is stretched over the ring, and a suitable filling material,substantially as shown.

2. A pin cushion having an opening through its'side or end, incombination with aplug for expanding the filling material, substantiallyas described.

FREDERICK RATCLIFF.

Witnesses:

G. T. SANFORD, GEO. N. ALDEN.

